I have never been so proud of our school district. Our school board’s unanimous decision to bring in Lisa Sayles-Adams as superintendent is a bold step toward making Eastern Carver County Schools a success story.

While all three candidates referred to the budget as our district’s biggest challenge, we are facing financial hardship because of a failed referendum due to a vote-no campaign that spread misconceptions about equity.

Our district is putting forth a robust equity plan, not only because the district is required to do so by the state, but also because of the proliferating racist incidents in our schools, which happened to be the genesis and focus of our very public problems.

Hiring Sayles-Adams, with a strong proficiency in diversity, inclusion and equity, is our best way out of that challenge as a unified community. In doing so, Eastern Carver County Schools can become a model for other communities and live up to its reputation as a destination district.

Sayles-Adams brings that and more to Eastern Carver County Schools. Her extensive experience across various leadership positions and educational roles makes her the most qualified for the position. Her collaborative leadership style was evident in her interviews.

She did her homework on our district, and with a 100-day plan in place, she will waste no time moving our district forward.

Thank you Eastern Carver County School Board for this fresh, positive, start for our students and community.

Kara Thom

Chaska